Why the South Bay Black Coalition when there are other Black community organizations? The South Bay Black Coalition began because Shay Franco-Clausen and Jordan Paran recognized a need for the black/African community in Santa Clara County. The black/African American population only makes up 3% of the County and after discussing, the two realized that there is no 'black side' of the County. More importantly, the space is to help develop and support the needs of the black youth. Many issues the adults of SBBC faced in their childhood are currently being relived through the current generation of high schools students, and generations more to come. It is impossible to eliminate all the hardships we are forced to endure, but the SBBC's purpose to give community to these students. SBBC allows them to have adults, peers, and friends to rely on when needed the most.
The Brave Space discussions are a platform for high school students in the Santa Clara County to be able to share our experiences and discuss our opinions candidly. The discussions are for the purpose of not only hearing what others may go through but to help brainstorm possible solutions of systematic injustices within our communities that we can fix. As the Brave Space Project continues, we hope to reach out more into the communities and not limit to the scope of high school students.